


Lightwood Animal Sanctuary and Rescue

by miyatree



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkward Alec is Awkward, Awkward Flirting, M/M, Not Book Canon Compliant, Out of the Closet Alec, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 22:02:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7072240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miyatree/pseuds/miyatree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It starts and ends with a border collie.</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>The one where Alec runs an animal sanctuary, and Magnus is a nurse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lightwood Animal Sanctuary and Rescue

"I found the dog, so he's mine!" the man shouted, slamming his fist on the counter between him and Alec. Alec grimaced as a few customers turned to look their way.

 

"And you're more than welcome to apply for his adoption when we've determined he's healthy enough to release–" He said calmly, though it hadn't sunk in the first three times he'd tried to explain it.

 

"This is such bullshit!" The man yelled again. Alec shifted his gaze to Jace who leaned against the wall, shoulders shaking with laughter. "I just wanted you to check him over!"

 

"Which we will. Our best veterinarian is already on it. But, as you've already admitted, you're not the actual owner of the dog. We're obligated to try and track them down. _If_ we can't find an owner, after an undetermined amount of time, the dog will be placed up for adoption. We can call you when that happens."

 

The man kicked the desk angrily, and Alec watched as Jace finally decided to step in. He sent the blond a glare as he approached. "Sir," Jace began. "We're really going to need you to calm down."

 

"Fuck this!" With a final kick to the desk, the man turned around and stormed out of the front door, slamming it as he left.

 

"Oh no, he didn't leave his contact information," Jace said with a smile. "How ever will we get in touch with him."

 

Alec rolled his eyes and rearranged the papers that had been shuffled around the desk in the chaos. "Took you long enough to say something," he mumbled, stepping around to see how much damage the man's kicks had done.

 

"You were doing just fine," Jace replied, sliding on his jacket. His shift had ended over half an hour ago, but he'd stuck around when the injured border collie had been brought in. "Anyway, I'm buying Chinese tonight. Be home around eight?"

 

Alec nodded, picking up the phone as Jace left. "Izzy? How's the collie?"

 

His sister's voice was tired on the other end. "A broken leg, as far as I can tell. I'll know more once the scans are finished. We'll probably have to do surgery, though. I'm going to be here late."

 

"Too bad, we're getting Chinese."

 

"I hate you," Isabelle muttered, hanging up the phone. Alec smiled as he did the same.

 

It was already three. Adoptions closed at five, and the shelter itself closed an hour later. Which meant Alec had to be at the front desk for the next two hours to watch for any last minute stragglers. Their usual receptionist booked the day off weeks ago, but Alec hadn't bothered to replace her, knowing he was perfectly capable of doing the job himself. After the last walk-in, though, he was beginning to regret the decision.

 

Lightwood Animal Sanctuary and Rescue, or LASR for short, was founded almost a year ago by himself, Jace and Isabelle after the sudden death of Alec and Isabelle's grandparents, leaving them both with a large inheritance. It was something they'd always dreamed of doing, but without the financial support (or any support at all, really) of their parents, a dream was all they ever thought it was going to be.

 

It started as a a simple sanctuary. They would rehabilitate animals, mostly dogs, that the humane societies were having a difficult time with. They did it for free, running off of their inheritances and donations from the public. After a few months, Alec realised they wouldn't be able to last long doing things that way. The donations they got were generous, sometimes, but eventually the money would run out. So they started adopting out animals that the humane societies couldn't. Sometimes they would get animals scheduled for termination, even just for the simple fact that there wasn't enough room left. Then Jace came up with the idea of training a couple of their dogs for use as therapy animals.

 

That was what really catapulted LASR in to a thriving business. Their animals were sent to hospitals, long term care homes, retirement homes, and various other locations. They charged a small fee per session, and even started to host events at the shelter itself. They set up lessons for people looking to train their own dogs, and for children to better understand how important a therapy dog's job was. Isabelle had already been going through school to become a veterinarian, so they were blessed in that regard. They hired more staff to accommodate, of course, but at the core it was still the three of them. Alec couldn't be prouder of everything they had accomplished.

 

* * *

 

Six o'clock rolled around and Alec waved as the last person left, clutching a small bag to their chest. He grabbed the keys from a drawer in the desk and started to lock up, flipping the switch on their OPEN sign off. He turned around, intending to check in on Isabelle and tell her and the few remaining staff that he was leaving. As he took the first step, a rush of knocks sounded against the door behind him.

 

"Please, I need to get dog food! I know you're closed, but if you could just give me a few minutes," the man outside said, his hand pressed against the glass door.

 

Alec sighed. He certainly didn't have to open the door, but he would never have had the heart to deny the man anyway. "It's for the dog..." he mumbled to himself as he started to unlock the door.

 

The man was dressed in a pair of loose black jeans and a black hoodie, which was pulled up to cover his hair. As Alec pulled the door open, he noticed the man's hand was shaking, and the other hand was buried in the front pocket of his sweater. He looked irate.

 

"Are you–" Alec started to ask, but the last thing he saw was the glint of a knife as it rushed toward his stomach.

 

* * *

 

The sun was what woke Alec up.

 

The curtains had been pulled back to let the morning light flood the room. It made it hard for Alec to open his eyes, but when he finally could he was able to make out the sterile white of the tiny hospital room. The smell of antiseptic hit his nostrils. He glanced to his left and found a table with his phone plugged in to a wall charger, a glass of water, and a bouquet of flowers. His immediate thought was to find out the time, so he outstretched his hand for the phone, tugging the charger from the bottom. He swiped it on. 8:45. He had been out for almost 16 hours.

 

His second thought, and admittedly not the most important thought he should have been having, was who the hell had brought him a bouquet of flowers. There was no card as far as he could tell, and it didn't seem like something Jace or Isabelle would do. He would have to ask them when they came by.

 

He shifted on the bed, wincing as pain shot through his abdomen.

 

Right. He had been stabbed.

 

He pulled the covers back and studied the bandages. He wasn't able to tell how bad the damage was, but if the many machines around his bed were any indication, it must have been bad. He was about to peek underneath them when a man walked in to the room, tapping a pen on the clipboard he was holding.

 

He looked up and made a noise of protest. "Please don't do that, Mr. Lightwood," he said, moving to stand beside the bed. Alec hastily pulled his hand back and laid it beside him. "I'm here to change your bandages anyway, so if you'll give me a moment."

 

Alec nodded, taking the moment to really study the man. He was dressed in a typical set of scrubs, teal in colour, with a stethoscope hanging around his neck. He was Asian, and couldn't be more than in his late twenties. His hair was shaved at the sides, and there were streaks of purple running through the rest of it. As he placed the clipboard at the end of the bed, Alec noticed his nails were painted the same purple.

 

Alec glanced away. He was very attractive.

 

"My name is Magnus," he said, pulling the covers back. He opened the bottom drawer of a cabinet to bring out some extra bandages. "I'll be your nurse during the days. If you need anything, just ring and I'll be here to help," he said, gesturing to the remote hanging beside the bed.

 

He pulled a pair of gloves over his hands and slowly started removing the existing bandages.

 

"Can you... can you tell me what happened?" Alec asked, wincing as the bandages finally lifted. He took the time the glance down, grimacing at the nasty looking wound. There were a lot of sutures.

 

"I don't know all the details," Magnus said as he worked. "I know you were attacked with a butcher knife. I know you were stabbed only once, but it was very deep." He started to re-wrap the wounds, and Alec flinched when the man's fingers grazed his side. "Sorry," Magnus mumbled, shooting Alec an apologetic smile. "Cold fingers."

 

"It's okay," Alec said. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Do you know when I can leave?"

 

Magnus shook his head as he got rid of the old bandages. "I'm afraid not. Your siblings were here most of the night. They had to leave about an hour ago, but they said they'll be by later. They were speaking with your doctor so they'll probably be able to update you better than I could."

 

"Thanks, Magnus," Alec said, opening his eyes again. Magnus paused in his actions, glancing up from where he was writing something on the clipboard.

 

They stared at each other for a moment before Magnus smiled. "You're welcome, Mr. Lightwood."

 

"You can call me Alec."

 

"Alec, it is."

 

Alec returned the smile and shifted his gaze back to the covers. "Thanks," he said again, rubbing a hand through his hair.

 

"You said that already," Magnus supplied, clipping the pen to the board as he took a few steps backward. "Anything else you need? Bathroom? How's your pain?"

 

Alec blushed. "No- I- I'm okay. Really."

 

"Okay," Magnus repeated. "Well, if you need me," he reiterated, gesturing once again to the remote. "If not, I'll see you again in an hour or so. A nurse should be by shortly with breakfast."

 

He gave a tiny wave as he left.

 

* * *

 

Alec called Isabelle after he had eaten – an unpleasant affair, as Alec soon found that all the horror stories about hospital food weren't too far from the truth. Isabelle had started in to a tirade as soon as she answered, and in between talks about how scared she was to find him, and how happy she was he was okay, and a few comments about Jace, Alec barely managed to ask her about the flowers.

 

"Oh, mom sent them."

 

"Mom was here?"

 

"No, she had them delivered."

 

Alec laughed bitterly. "Of course she did."

 

"She wanted to come by, Alec. Her and dad. But they're out of the city."

 

Alec wanted to believe her, but his relationship with their parents was so strained to begin with, he wouldn't be surprised if they were simply avoiding the trip. He didn't want to upset Izzy, though, so he instead made a soft hum of understanding. "What happened, Izzy? I remember letting the guy in, and I remember seeing a knife, but after that..."

 

"It was that asshole who brought the border collie in. The one who wouldn't stop arguing with you. A few people saw him running away with blood on his hands. The police found him a couple of hours later. Jace is pretty upset about it."

 

"It's not like it's his fault," Alec mumbled. But of course, Jace would find a way to blame himself anyway. "Tell him I said that. He's an idiot if he thinks it is."

 

"You should tell him yourself. Give him a call. He's out with one of the dogs right now, but he's got his cell."

 

"I'm kind of tired, gonna try to sleep for a bit." Alec shifted to his side. "Actually, you talked to my doctor? Did he say when I can go home?"

 

"Not for a couple of weeks, maybe longer. It depends how you heal. Sorry, big brother, you're in there for a while."

 

Alec sighed. "Great."

 

A soft knock drew his attention to the room's entrance, and he turned to watch Magnus enter the room once again. Magnus gave a soft smile, pointing toward the cabinet he was apparently coming to restock. Alec watched as he went about it, forgetting for a moment about his conversation with Isabelle.

 

"Alec, _hello_? Are you there?"

 

"I- uh, yeah. Sorry. I'm here. I'm gonna sleep now, Izzy. I'll talk to you later." He listened once more as she urged him to call Jace, and they said their goodbyes.

 

When he hung up on the call, Magnus was rearranging some things on the bottom shelf. Alec glanced down and quickly looked away again, blushing.

 

Magnus stood up, and turned around. Alec schooled his expression in to a calm one. "Anything I can do for you, Alec?"

 

"I'm okay, Magnus. Thanks."

 

Magnus nodded, rubbing his hands together as he scanned the room a final time. He took a step to the window. "I can close the curtains for you, if you plan on sleeping." He did so before Alec could answer, but the dimness that fell over the room was a welcome change. Magnus turned around and smiled. "I'll be back to check in later. We're going to be changing your bandages once more tonight, but after that we'll only need to do it once in the mornings. Before that you'll be allowed to shower. I'll be showing you how to properly clean around your wound." He paused, gaze straying to the ceiling as he went through a mental checklist.

 

"Sounds great," Alec joked.

 

"Oh, it is. Very exciting. You're going to love it," Magnus replied, a small smirk resting on his lips.

 

A silence fell over them and Alec bit his lip as he searched for something to say. Magnus seemed to notice his hesitation and took several steps closer to the door. "Anyway," he said. "I should let you rest. Buzz if you need me?" Alec nodded and sighed as the man left the room.

 

"Words, Alec. Use your words," he mumbled to himself, sinking further down in to the mattress.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you if you took the time to read this! I've had this idea stuck in my head for a while now. Malec has inspired me to start writing again and for that I will forever be grateful to Shadowhunters. <3 I can't promise a steady updating schedule. I can say I'll try to update at least once a week, but I would inevitably disappoint you. But I will do my best. You could follow me on [tumblr](http://harryshum.tumblr.com/) and maybe kick my ass there if I take too long? :P
> 
> Also I admit to knowing absolutely nothing about how a dog sanctuary works, or how a hospital works, or anything at all really. Any errors are because of my own ignorance, though I have tried here and there to do some research.


End file.
